The Tennessee Overhill Experience

The Tennessee Overhill Experience. From Furs to Factories. Prosperous farmer, railroad investor, and legislator, I. T. Lenoir deeded a track of his farm in 1858 for the location of a railroad depot on the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad which bisected the fledging town of Sweetwater. Within a few years, Sweetwater was a bustling shipping point for wagon loads of wheat, other agricultural products and cattle from farms in southeast Tennessee and western North Carolina. Over the years, the town has boasted a number of industries ranging from cheese to clothing production, but still retains strong ties to the region’s agricultural base., (Inscription under the photo in the upper right) , Sweetwater Depot and downtown, circa 1910s., (Inscription under the photo in the lower right) , Each year, from mid-November to mid-January, millions of pounds of tobacco are auctioned in the warehouses north of Sweetwater on Hwy 11. In 1985, export of local tobacco to national markets changed from rail transport to commercial trucking, which relies on the interstate system. Photographs courtesy of Sweetwater Heritage Museum.